Running Days
by Evil Wears a Suit
Summary: Because, before anything else Sena was a runner, and he always would be. Not even football could change that.
1. Run 0

This story was inspired after I read The Path of Grace by Eirenei.

**My one and only disclaimer:** I don't own ES21 and I never will. I think that should keep me covered for the rest of this story, no?

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_What kind of crazy nut would spend two or three hours a day just running? –anonymous_

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**Prologue**

Predawn shadows chased the figure that ran along the quiet country road. The cool early spring air nipped at Sena's body only to be brushed away with the heat his body was radiating. Sweat dripped down his face, matting his messy brown hair and making his shirt stick to him. Breathing in and out heavily, he pushed his legs against the dirt road again and again, a faint memory of another boy teaching him how to run correctly floating in the back of his mind. He couldn't remember what the boy looked like very well, but his voice echoed clearly in his head, a voice that Sena called Riku.

Glancing to the side as his running disturbed some small animal, Sena felt an aching in his heart. This morning was his last morning running down these quiet dirt roads and mountain paths. Just before his fourth year of elementary school, his parents had decided to intervene in his life due to the bullying that plagued Sena every day at school. After a lot of discussion, they'd sent Sena to live with his father's parents in the country to give him a chance to start over. The results of the move were actually quite good.

Sena was still a very quiet boy, but he was no longer picked on or bullied. He'd become acquaintances with a few people in his class, and had developed the rather healthy habit of going on multiple long runs every day, starting with an early morning run that had him out and about before even the sun was up. That was all coming to an end though. Now that Sena was to start attending high school, his parents wanted him to return to the city to live with them. The fact that he'd be living with his parents again made Sena happy, but he'd grown very close with his grandparents over the years and would miss the wide open space that was the country.

Reaching his grandparents' house, Sena slowed to a stop, his breath hanging as visible mist in front of him before disappearing to be replaced by the next breath. Once his breathing had returned to normal, Sena placed his hands in the small of his back and leaned backwards, letting out a content sigh at the popping that ensued. Walking up to the front door, Sena sat just inside it to take off his shoes before heading up the stairs to the room he'd lived in for the past six years. He paused at the door frame to look at the marks there that started out rather short and slowly climbed higher and higher up the doorframe, marks that showed his physical growth since he'd moved in.

"It's been a while since we last measured you." Jumping a little, Sena glanced over his shoulder at his grandpa who was staring at him thoughtfully. Like Sena and his father, Sena's grandpa had the typical messy Kobayakowa hair; only his was now gray with age and cut shorter than Sena's. "Why don't we measure you one last time? We measured you the day you got here, so it's only right that we measure you on the day you leave."

"Ah, sure," Sena said, retrieving a pencil from his desk and standing with his back to the doorframe. Taking the pencil from his grandson, Shou Kobayakowa scratched a mark into the doorframe at the top of Sena's head. As Sena moved away to look at the mark, they could both see that he'd grown a few centimeters since the last time they taken his height nearly half a year ago.

"Would you look at that," Shou said, smiling down at his grandson. "I'd wager if we add that growth to your old height that your about 162-163cm tall now. Not bad, Sena." Smiling, Sena nodded. Compared to the mark much farther down on the doorway from the day he'd moved in, he'd really grown a lot. "Of course," Shou said, clapping Sena on the shoulder, "you've grown in more than just height." He gave Sena's shoulder a good squeeze, feeling the lean muscle that had developed there from helping with the chores. Chopping wood, carrying things around, and helping out the neighbors in various ways had helped to tone Sena's body along with his running. The fact that one of the acquaintances he'd made at school was obsessed with rugby and was always trying to get Sena to help him practice might have also had something to do with it though.

Staring down at his grandson who he'd become rather close with, Shou could feel his eyes watering up, so he cleared his throat and ruffled Sena's hair affectionately.

"Your grandma should be up soon to make breakfast, so go get cleaned up. She'll probably be nothing but a bunch of waterworks, so be patient." With that, he left Sena alone to go find the morning's paper. Sena didn't say a word, but he could hear the words his grandpa hadn't spoken as he turned to face his now rather barren room. All of his belongings other than what he could fit into a duffel bag that now sat on his neatly made bed had been sent ahead and were already waiting for him at his parent's home.

Perhaps, more than anything else, staring at the now lifeless room made Sena realize it was really happening. He was moving back in with his parents, and, starting in a few days, he'd be a student at Deimon High. Hopefully, he'd be ready for it.

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...

Bleh. I'm not a huge fan of prologues, but this story got down on its hands and knees to beg and plead for one, so here it is. Believe me when I say that normal chapters will be a much more respectable length than a mere 965 words. I like my chapters to be a couple thousand words at least.

-EWAS


	2. Run 1

_Running is real and relatively simple…but it ain't easy. –Mark Will-Weber_

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**Chapter One**

Rolling over for what felt like the hundredth time, Sena opened his eyes to stare into the darkness that was his room. Even though this was the same room he'd had as a kid, it felt like it belonged to a stranger now. Odd shadows and shapes seemed to leap and shift before his eyes, playing tricks with the lack of light. The alarm clock sitting on the edge of his desk seemed to mock him as its dull numbers showed 4:30 in the morning. Sena might have been in the habit of getting up early, but not quite that early.

Sighing, knowing he wasn't going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon, Sena threw the covers off and sat up. Running a hand through his hair he messed up the already tussled look it had. A few minutes later found Sena dressed in a pair of red sweats and a black t-shirt. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well go run. Stopping by his desk, he unplugged his new cell phone from its charger and slipped it into his pocket along with his wallet.

On his first day back, he'd given his parents a heart attack because he was gone when they woke up. Once they'd realized he'd just gone out to run and that he'd developed the habit of getting up at what they called a ridiculous hour, his parents had immediately gone out and bought him a cell phone so he could call them if anything happened, or, more accurately, so they could call him and figure out where he was when he was out on a run.

Moving quietly around the house to avoid waking up his parents, Sena stopped by the kitchen to scrounge around for something that could be called breakfast. After all, a banana or two and a glass of milk wouldn't last very long.

"Sena?" Shutting the door to the fridge, Sena turned around to see his dad standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," Sena said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. It wasn't like he'd never seen his parents in the past six years, but now that he was living with them again he wasn't really sure what to say or do. It was a consequence none of them had really thought about when Sena had gone to live with his grandparents.

"No, you're fine. I was already awake just lying in bed staring at the ceiling. I thought I heard someone, so I figured I'd get up," his dad said, taking a seat at the kitchen table while observing his son. It was strange to realize just how much Sena had changed over the years. Shiyuma felt like his own son was a bit of a stranger, but he hoped to find some way to remedy that. "…Today's orientation day for your school isn't it?" Sena nodded, leaning back against the counter. "I see…are you worried about whether you passed the entrance exams or not?"

"Not really. I didn't think they were too hard," Sena said, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought about it. A silence encased the room, a slight tension filling the air as the two tried to figure out what to say to each other. Looking at his son, Shiyuma noted that he was wearing a running outfit and an idea began to form in his head.

"Are you going to head out for a run?"

"Well, I can't really sleep, so I figured I might as well…" Sena trailed off uncertainly, not sure if his dad would be okay with him heading out this early or not, but his dad's mind seemed to be on something else entirely.

"Would you mind if I came with you?" Sena blinked. He hadn't really been expecting that.

"Um…that's fine, but I run pretty far Dad. I'm not sure you'd be able to keep up with me." Shiyuma smiled a bit and got up from the table. Sena was probably right. It had been a long time since he'd gotten much exercise, but maybe getting back into shape by going with Sena occasionally could help them to bond as father and son.

"We won't know until we try now will we? Just wait here, I'll be back down in a few minutes." Staring after his dad as he disappeared, Sena could hear the stairs creaking quietly as he went upstairs. Did his dad even own any clothes that he could go running in? Since he worked as a lawyer, Sena rarely saw his dad in anything besides a suit or slacks and a nice button up shirt. Thinking about it, Sena wasn't sure he'd ever seen his dad in any sort of exercise clothing, so he was a bit surprised when his dad came down a few minutes later in an old pair of sweats and a worn t-shirt with a wind breaker over the top.

"Shall we go?" Shiyuma asked, sitting down by the front door to put on his shoes. Nodding, Sena sat down next to his dad to slip on his sneakers. Sena still wasn't convinced this was a good idea, but didn't bother to voice his thoughts aloud. "Aren't you cold without a jacket?" his dad asked as they went outside. Sena shook his head.

"I'll be warm enough in a few minutes. I usually don't bother with a jacket unless it's winter or raining." Doing a couple of stretches, Sena glanced over at his dad to see if he was ready. He got a nod as a response and took off at a light jog. They'd made it perhaps two kilometers when they had to finally stop. While Sena had barely started to break a warm-up sweat, his dad was winded, sore, and already exhausted.

"Are you alright, Dad?" Sena asked, even though it was obvious he wasn't. From where he was bent over double, gasping for breath, he tried to give Sena a shaky smile. He was more out of shape than he'd thought. If it was like this, he'd never be able to go running with Sena as his son looked like they hadn't even done anything yet. "You shouldn't bend over like that, Dad, you'll get cramps in your side." Walking over to his dad, Sena helped him straighten up and put one of his arms around his shoulder.

Too breathless to speak, Shiyuma slowly stumbled back the way they'd come, leaning against Sena to keep himself upright. Neither of them said a word, but they both seemed to accept that this had been a bad idea that probably wasn't worth repeating. By the time they reached home, Shiyuma was walking on his own again, his breathing back to normal, but his legs felt like they were made out of jelly. Resting his hand on the doorknob, Shiyuma turned to look at Sena.

"Hey, let's keep this a secret from your mom, okay?" Sena smiled a bit and nodded. He knew even if he didn't say anything that his mom would figure out something had happened, but that didn't mean she needed to know the details. "Are you coming in?" Sena shook his head and had the decency to look a bit embarrassed.

"I haven't really even warmed up yet. I'm used to running a lot farther than that."

"Ah…" Shiyuma felt a pang of guilt inside. Who knew how far Sena would have gotten by now if he hadn't slowed him down.

"Don't worry about it, Dad. It was…nice." Sena gave his dad a small smile that was returned slowly. "We'll just have to try something different next time?" Shiyuma's eyes widened a bit. Even if this attempt hadn't been successful, it had definitely been a step in the right direction.

"Sure, Sena. When should I tell your mom to expect you home?"

"I don't know. Later probably," Sena said as he pulled out his cell phone to check the time. "I think I'm just going to run to Deimon now and hang around until the results get posted."

"Alright. Do you remember which train to catch?"

"Dad, I'm running there," Sena said, edging his was towards the street as his dad realized just what he was saying. To say his dad looked shocked would have been an understatement.

"Um…Sena…you do realize that's a really long run, right?" Shiyuma said, staring at his son in near disbelief. Did he really think he could run all the way to Deimon High?

"I ran there last week to take the exam," Sena shrugged only to realize that might not have been the best answer. His grandparents were okay with him running all over the place, but he still wasn't really sure what his parents' opinions on the matter were.

"You…" Shiyuma could only shake his head. There were a lot of things he needed to catch up with Sena on. His son was no longer the little boy that came home covered in bruises because he was being picked on. While he was gone, Sena grew up. "Just be careful."

"…Thanks, Dad. I'll be fine," Sena said, turning to run off before pausing as a thought struck him. "Ah, if mom asks, could you tell her I took the train?" Somehow, Sena had the feeling that his mom might not be so understanding of his choice to run the entire distance to Deimon High.

"Sure thing, Sena. It'll be our second little secret," Shiyuma said with a smirk. Flashing his dad a rare grin, Sena nodded and took off down the street at a much faster pace than the one he'd set when he'd left with his dad earlier. Enough time had passed since he'd rolled out of bed at 4:30 that morning, that the sun was starting to rise, casting the streets into a pale predawn light.

Running through the streets was a very different experience compared to the quiet dirt roads and paths Sena was used to in the country, but the change was also kind of nice. As he got closer to Deimon High, the rest of the world seemed to slowly wake up and fill the streets. Having spent years running through the trees in the mountains, Sena had no trouble dodging around the extra people that filled up the sidewalks. It was actually kind of fun since, unlike trees, the people moved and forced him to recalculate the running route ahead of him over and over again.

By the time he reached Deimon High, Sena was dripping with sweat. It'd taken him about forty minutes to reach the school, and the time on his cell phone read two minutes to seven. His timing couldn't have been better as the person in charge of hanging up the exam results was just stapling the last paper to the board as Sena jogged up.

"Ah, good morning there," the man, Sena assumed he was a teacher, greeted. The man appeared to be in his early forties with dark brown hair and rectangle shaped glasses. "You're certainly here early. That nervous about your score, huh? What's your number? I can help you find it." Nodding, Sena pulled his wallet out of his pocket and removed a slip of paper from it with his exam number on it.

"Let's see, I'm number 007," Sena said, smirking a bit at the number. It was the same number as that one spy from the famous British spy movies that his grandma loved to watch, James Bond. Turning his attention to the board, Sena, with the help of the teacher, quickly found his number.

"Well, there you are, let me be the first person to congratulate you," the teacher said with a smile. "My name's Kazuki Tachibana, and I teach world history. Perhaps, I'll see you again in the classroom. Make sure to stop by the office to pick up your uniform and schedule." Waving, Kazuki left before Sena even had a chance to properly introduce himself.

Letting out a bit of a sigh, Sena slipped his paper back into his wallet which he returned to his pocket. Even though he'd felt good about the entrance exam, until he saw his number on the board, there was that small niggling doubt in the back of his head that he'd failed. Now that he was sure he'd passed, a small weight he didn't realize he'd been carrying was lifted off his shoulders.

"Guess I'd better stop by the office then…"

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Yoichi Hiruma was not a person who got nervous or felt concerned. The very thought was laughable. Apprehension though was another story, and was probably what one could describe Hiruma's feelings as while the resident demon of Deimon High and captain of the amefuto team walked through the front gates. Because of Deimon's policy that third years weren't allowed to participate in clubs in order to focus on their studies, this was the last year, the last chance he and the fatty had to make it to the Christmas Bowl. That meant their chances were riding completely on the first years who'd be entering Deimon this year.

The large bubble of gum Hiruma was blowing finally popped from the pressure. If there weren't any promising first years that they, or more accurately, he, could convince to join the team, their goal of reaching the Christmas Bowl would be over. The thought of not being able to make it simply because they couldn't gather enough serious members ticked Hiruma off, and the blond's hand started to reach for one of the guns he kept on his person out of habit. His hand paused though as he spotted a boy standing in front of the results board.

Dang. Hiruma knew it was seven on the dot, so the results must have just been stuck up. He hadn't thought anyone would be here this earlier to see them though. Shoving these thoughts aside, Hiruma focused in on the boy. He looked a little on the short side, and he couldn't tell because of the loose t-shirt and sweats the kid was wearing whether he had any muscle of not. Logic said probably not though. Too small to be a lineman or a tight end then, but maybe the kid could play as a receiver. Better yet would be if the kid was fast enough to play as a running back, but that was hopeful thinking and Hiruma didn't allow himself to hope.

The kid seemed to mumble something to himself too quietly for even Hiruma's keen hearing before he turned around and the two met eyes. In that moment, Hiruma could see the faint hint of relief in the kid's brown eyes before a split second of surprise, probably at spotting him, flashed through them leaving behind a simple curious stare. The relief was what really caught Hiruma's attention. Relief meant he'd passed, so the kid was a viable recruit.

"Um…" The kid's voice was quiet but even. Hiruma noted that the kid's eyes flicked to his school uniform for a brief second before returning to meet his gaze again. Interesting. Sure, the kid didn't know who he was yet, but even then, people didn't meet his gaze very often and he'd just met it twice. "You're a student here, right? Could you tell me where to find the office? I need to go pick up my uniform and class schedule." It wasn't how he'd planned on recruiting people today, an ordinary conversation seemed too tame, but Hiruma wasn't about to turn down the chance to get someone to join the team.

"You passed then? Congratulations!" Hiruma said, his smile a little on the dangerous side as he reached for his pocket. "Why don't you borrow my cellphone and call your parents to let them know." As he said this, Hiruma pulled a red cellphone out of his pocket and held it out towards the boy. The second the kid entered his number, Hiruma could take the phone and run.

"Ah, thanks and no thanks," the kid said, reaching into his own pocket to pull out a gray and black cellphone of his own. Hiruma didn't let his annoyance at his little plan being foiled show on his face. He still had plenty of other ways to get info on the kid in front of him. The fatty was probably going to be late anyways, so he had some time before he could put his real recruitment extortion plan into action. "It's good to know that there's such nice upperclassmen here though," the kid continued, a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes on his face. "Ah, I'm Sena Kobayakowa by the way." Hiruma's smile grew, exposing his pointed teeth. A name, that was something he could work with.

"Kobayakowa-kun then," Hiruma said, returning his cellphone to his pocket. "Are you planning to join any clubs when school starts?"

"You can call me Sena, everyone does because my last name is so long," Sena said, putting away his phone as well. "As for a club…does Deimon have a cross country team?"

"Nope." Blowing another bubble with his gum, Hiruma's eyes narrowed minutely as he studied the kid, Sena, before him a bit more closely. The only kind of people that would want to join a cross country team were people that loved running and had a lot of endurance. Both of which could be very useful on the football field, and if the kid could run fast as well as long distance… Hiruma could feel the gears in his head starting to turn, but it all depended on the kid's running skill.

"That's too bad." Sena looked a little disappointed, but not overly put out. "What about you, are you in a club?"

"Of course!" Hiruma grinned dangerously. "I'm the quarterback and captain for the amefuto club!" In an instant he whipped out one of his guns and began shooting it into the sky. "Ya-ha!" It was only for a few seconds, but when Hiruma stoped shooting and returned his attention to Sena, he found himself staring into thin air. Frowning, Hiruma looked around, but the kid had simply vanished into thin air.

"Kekeke. You can run, but you can't hide Sena Kobayakowa," Hiruma chuckled, pulling out a small black notebook from his pocket and flipping to an empty page where he wrote Sena's name at the top. If his grin managed to get any wider his face would split in half.

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Inside the front doors to the school, Sena leaned back against the wall and slid down to the floor. A gun. He couldn't believe it. That spiky blond haired guy, whom he belatedly realized he'd never gotten the name of, had pulled out a gun and started shooting it! Sena made a mental note then and there to avoid the blond. He was crazy.

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**...**

Father and son time, meeting the devil, and a mental note that probably won't last much longer than an ice cube in heck. Forgive me if the chapter seemed slow to any of you, but I'm trying to set things up for later on in the story. Did I mention that I'm not necessarily sticking to canon with this story? No? Well, now you know. :)

Thanks to _Dremagon_ and _itachisgurl93_ for the reviews, and thanks to those of you that have followed or favorited this story. Support of any sort is welcomed and appreciated.

-EWAS


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